USB-C is super handy in the sense that every port and connector looks exactly the same, so you never have to wonder whether it’ll fit or not. It can be confusing, though, and sometimes, the confusing parts aren’t even visible at a glance.
As I recently helped a relative with a USB-related issue, I thought back to a time when a simple USB cable caused me a lot more frustration than should’ve been possible.
The cable looked right, so I blamed everything else
The connector was the least important part
USB-C cables all look the same, so we often gravitate toward the cheapest possible option. After all, why not? If it’s the same thing and it’s a lot cheaper, it makes sense to buy it. I’ve helped friends and relatives out of making these (wrong) choices, and it’s all because I once made the same mistake.
I wasn’t trying to do anything unusual, either. I had a USB-C cable, I had a USB-C device, and the two physically fit together. So, as this was years ago, I didn’t give it much thought and assumed that was it.
The problem was that the device worked, it just worked badly. I was using that cable with an external SSD, and while the drive showed up just fine, transfers were far slower than they should’ve been.
At first, I assumed the SSD was the problem. Then I blamed my PC. The cable didn’t make the initial shortlist, because hey, it looked fine, and it charged fine. But that was the problem: I was using a charging-focused cable for a job that needed decent data speeds. Sure, it was a USB-C cable, but it wasn’t the USB-C cable I needed at the time.
That’s what makes USB-C so frustrating—it looks right, but it isn’t always.
- Cable Type
-
USB-C
- Length
-
3 feet
This affordable Anker USB-C to USB-C cable is capable of 240W charging, and it doesn’t hurt that it’s available in many different colors.
My charging cable was not a real data cable
Fast charging doesn’t equal fast transfers
Most USB-C cables have the same basic capabilities, such as charging your phone from your laptop. But that doesn’t mean they’re equally good at moving files.
Some USB-C charging cables are only built for basic USB 2.0 data speeds, which is fine for accessories, but awful when you’re trying to use a fast external SSD. Even a SATA SSD benefits from something better.
Seeing a high wattage rating might trip you up, though. It might feel like the cable is good so it’ll be fast, but one high number doesn’t equal high numbers across the board. A cable can handle 100W or 240W charging and still be a terrible choice for large file transfers, as I found out years ago, while scratching my head as to why my SSD was so slow. Wattage is irrelevant for data transfers; look for data rating, and aim for 10Gbps or higher.
Docks can be a problem, too
Or rather cables can
This whole mystery cable bonanza gets even more annoying when docks and hubs enter the picture.
A basic USB-C cable might be enough to connect a mouse, a keyboard, or a flash drive, but a dock can ask a lot more from that one cable. It might need to carry power, data, Ethernet, audio, and a video signal to one or more monitors all at the same time. If the cable isn’t built for that, the dock might still partially work, which only makes the issue harder to spot.
A relative of mine had this exact problem not too long ago. They complained about a brand-new USB hub, claiming that several ports didn’t work. But it turns out that the cable connecting the hub to the PC couldn’t carry the amount of wattage they were trying to draw, and neither could the singular port that was supposed to handle everything.
If a dock or a hub behaves weirdly, check the cable first. A cheap cable has no place handling multiple things at once.
Power ratings are super confusing
60W, 100W, 140W, 240W … what else?
Power ratings are another part of USB-C that should be simple, but isn’t. A cable that can handle 60W might be sufficient for a phone, tablet, or ultrabook, but that doesn’t mean it’ll be enough for a bigger laptop or a docked setup. Move up to 100W, 140W, or 240W, and things get messier still, because all the links in the chain need to support that same wattage. That means the device, the port, the hub, the cable … you get the picture.
This is also where buying the cheapest cable can really come back and bite you. A low wattage cable may be fine for basic stuff, but if you want it all, as in fast charging and fast transfers, you’ll have to spend a bit more.
Don’t use the same USB-C cable for everything
I know I’m preaching to the choir here. If you’re like me, you probably have a bazillion USB-C cables in the house right now, acquired when you bought this or that device. But those cables are often the cheap-and-sufficient kind, and not exactly what you want to have for every device. My advice? Invest in a couple of good cables if you have some use for them. Just check the spec sheet before you shop.
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
